The hitching and unhitching of trailers or other towed devices presents problems for drivers of the towing vehicles. In most instances, the drivers must mount and dismount the towing vehicle during each hook-up procedure to view the alignment of the hitch and tongue several times during the process. The problems may be exacerbated when the towed vehicles incorporate brakes that must be disengaged after the tongue on the towed device is secured to the hitch of the towing vehicle. Disengagement of the brake may require the driver to dismount the towing vehicle one additional time before proceeding with the trailer.
Unhitching of trailers or other towed devices often also requires that the driver dismount the towing vehicle one last time to disengage the tongue from the hitch. In addition, the driver may also be required to set the brakes on trailers that include integral brake systems to prevent unwanted movement of the unhitched trailer.
Among the problems caused by these operations is the amount of time spent aligning the hitch and the trailer tongue to hitch the trailer to the towing vehicle. Misalignment may require the operator to position the towing vehicle numerous times during the process. The time spent obtaining the proper alignment may be significant relative to the time required to actually move the trailer to a desired location.
Alternatively, the driver may be tempted to try to move the trailer into alignment with the towing vehicle, leading to the potential of physical injury for the driver. And in some instances, movement of the trailer may be hindered if the trailer includes an integral braking system designed to disengage the brakes only when the trailer is properly hitched.
In addition to the lost time spent during alignment, all of these operations, i.e., mounting, dismounting, hitching, unhitching, etc. present the potential for injury to the driver.